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User blog:Abi112792/Reasons Why Fanfiction Is Going Down the Toilet (Borrowed from AnnieHonson's fanfic.net page)
Not many people here can take constructive criticism. No, really, it's true. Most people view criticism as a bad thing, because the critic is actually taking their time to look through a person's work and pointing out things the author could've done better at to make the story more exciting. It isn't a bad thing people, it means somebody actually read and payed attention to your manure. You should happy that they care about your writing enough to spend 5 minutes of their life trying to help you become a better writer. They don't do it to be a female dog, they do it because they CARE about your writing. Get it right! People actually respond to people who are trying to help them with this: "OMG, I worked so hard on that! I can't believe you're being such a bi**h! I'll have my daddy sue you! And I can't believe you insulted my character! She isn't a Mary Sue!" Oh my Nyx… Seriously people? The critics are your friends, not your enemy! Grammar and punctuation has died and gone to the bad place with the bad guy (otherwise known as the underworld) I'm not even joking about this. Every day, I check the House of Night achieve and I click on a few stories. The first thing I see is an author's note riddled with grammar problems and spelling mistakes. But that's fine, because it's just the author's note and nobody really cares about it. What really tips me off is seeing a whole 14 page worth of writing, riddled with grammar problems, wrong use of words, spelling mistakes, etc. I understand that some people might just be young or English is their second language or any other excuse, but you really shouldn't have an excuse. Why? Because there are beta readers on this site who are willing to check over your work and fix your writing. If you just get one of them, your writing would be readable and won't make people want to tear their eyes out. So many Mary Sues and stereotypes One of the most common stereotypes is Zoey and Stark's kids having purple Marks on them. That the biggest pile of manure I've ever read. Just because Zoey is a blue fledgling and Stark is a red one does not mean their child will be a combination of both. That's just utter manure. And the Mary Sues? Every OC fanfic I click on, the protagonist just HAS to be a Sue. They just have to have a special Mark that is impossible, or they have to have one of the cannon characters falling for them. Mary Sues kill good literature! '' "'''Yeah, summery sucks, but it's a good story!" If you can't put it into words in a summery, how can I possibly believe that it's a good story? I did this before, and I realize what an idiot I looked like. You can write a summery if you know what's going to happen in the story. And, since you are the author, you should know what's going to happen in the story. I know it's hard with the limited characters allowed in the summery, but trust me, it's not impossible! Please! Just try and stop saying "Yeah, stupid summery. But please read?" because nobody is going to be interested if your summery is like that. So many people do the same thing over and over again OK, I am guilty of doing this when I put out the story Torturing People is Fun!. A lot of people are now doing them, and I'm getting tired. I stopped reviewing right after I saw eighth or tenth torture story titled "Truth or Dare!" and they have the same jokes from previous authors. And I think everybody is getting bored, too. It's all the same: Kalona gets dunked into acid, Erik gets thrown to sharks, Neferet gets lit on fire etc. Not only are torture stories getting boring, but so are cliché stories in which one of the people from HoN gets pregnant. Story ideas are like light bulbs: They're all shiny and bright at the beginning, but they get dull and useless in the end. Yeah, the pregnant stories are going that way. So, what did you think? Again, I'm not trying to insult anybody. I'm just using things I see so often in FanFiction. I do have favorite pregnant story, and some favorite torture story (Twin's and Gnomy's. Love them to bits), but I was just pointing out how cliche it was becoming. Feel free to argue. And should I continue this? I would be happy to. ''Of course, I didn't want to be a complete son of a *beep*. And I do understand that there are people who are new to writing. Originally, my intension was to list reasons why House of Night FanFiction was going downhill, and how to avoid having your fanfic story be one of them down the way. That didn't work out, and I did have 16 pointing out that there are new authors on the site. So, I thank her for that, and for making me realize what my true intension was :D.' Criticism There is a difference between flaming and criticism. Flaming is when a person insults your work, but can't back up their thoughts. Criticism is when somebody insults your work, and offers you ways to solve those problems. Still don't get it? Flame: '''Your story sucks. I hate it. Go die in a ditch.' '''This is actually the worst stage of a flamer, because they're telling you to do self-harm, which is never healthy and shouldn't be encouraged. Not to mention, their voice is only there on the internet. If you put them in a real life situation, and have them face you, they would not be able to tell you this.' Criticism: '''Your story isn't the best, and I really don't like it. The characters need to a little more 3 dimensional, the plot seems really weak, and you need a lot more grammar, spelling and description in your story. If you apply these to the story, trust me, it would be a whole lot better.' '''Now, I see how any new author would consider this a flamer, but it's not. This is how I give criticism in real life, and I'm nicer in the internet world. Why isn't this a flamer? Well, if they don' like your story, they have the right to say it (it's called "Freedom of Speech"). However, it is not a flamer because they pointed out valid reasons why your story isn't interesting. They're trying to help you, not try to hate on you.' Please, always handle flamers and criticisms lightly and maturely, and never brush of the insult with: Oh, they're just jealous that I have so many readers. They probably aren't, and you just made yourself look like an immature bitch who thinks they're perfect. Mary sues Accept that your character is a Mary Sue. The types of Mary Sues and how to solve is a bit TOO long, and I lack the patience needed to explore it deeply. So, instead, search up this story: 'The Official Mary Sue Manual''' by T A Maxwell. It's very helpful.' '''Grammar, spelling, etc. Get a beta reader. What is a beta reader? They are like the editor of a book, except, they don't get paid. If you get a beta reader, choose one that isn't overly nice because it's better to have somebody criticize your work and point out things that are wrong with it than having somebody who is like: ''Oh, this is so perfect!'' Because Stephenie Meyer did the latter, most people hate her books. Because J.K Rowling did the former, Everybody loves Sirius Black (At least I do...) Stereotypes Try to be original. Even though the torture stories and pregnancy stories are really fun to write at first, it gets unbelievably boring later (for the authors, AND the readers). And regarding the pregnancy stories: Vampyres can't get pregnant. How do you explain that? Instead, try new ideas that nobody's ever tried before. Instead of having pregnancy stories, have something like Zoey turning into a human by some weird power swap, and Aphrodite turning into the chosen one instead. And in that state, Zoey is much more vulnerable to darkness, and has Neferet trying to bring her to the dark side to use her as a blackmail item for… somebody. Maybe an OC. Summary Try your best and avoid having "Summary sucks" in your summary at all costs. It is an instant turn off, and it doesn't really say much about your story. Instead, try to minimize your summary down to minimal. You don't have to put the whole background for your story down, just things that will arouse the readers interest. Why I say to avoid "Summary sucks": #1 It makes you sound like a lazy pig #2 It shows that you have no creativity (sometimes…) #3 It doesn't really say anything about the story, so people don't want to click on it because they don't know what to expect Instead, try this: #1 On a rough piece of paper, write down the main points of a story #2 Take those points, and highlight the ones that will be telling the readers a little about the story, but not too much. #3 Out of the highlighted ones, trim it down to three main points. With these three points, let your imagination go wild and write up a summery. Example: Zoey gets turned into human Aphrodite gets powers Neferet trying to get Zoey Stark ditches Zoey for somebody else and has darkness affect him Zoey is no longer welcome to the House of Night Zoey thinks Nyx hates her All her friends start to disappear Now, sorry if the story sounds crappy. I just thought it off from the top of my head. Here's the next step: 'Zoey gets turned into human' 'Aphrodite gets powers' 'Neferet trying to get Zoey' Stark ditches Zoey for somebody else and has darkness affect him Zoey is no longer welcome to the House of Night Zoey thinks Nyx hates her All her friends start to disappear And with that, I write a summery: With Zoey being stripped of her powers, Aphrodite is the new chosen one. And now, in her vulnerable state, Neferet has found a way to gain the complete power she wanted. Is our protagonist safe anymore? Not my best work, but I still tried. 'I hope this helped some of you newbies. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me. And sorry for me not responding to any PM. I just had midterms this week, and it has been chaotic X_X. So, for those of you who are having PM chats with me, sorry for the wait, and I'll be responding to PM's by Sunday at the least ^_^.' Category:Blog posts